Mexican Monsters, Chainsaw Hookers & Zontar, the Thing from Thrillville

Written By Will Viharo


Posters by Strephon Taylor

Abruptly my association with Monogram Releasing has come to an end, so I was forced to think on my feet and rebook my September and October "road thrill" shows. Within less than a year I've lost all three of my regular Thrillville venues (Parkway, Cerrito and Copia in Napa, all gone) and now that Motion Picture Heritage is n
o longer involved with efforts to revitalize the Parkway, I may never get my East Bay base back again (though I am in talks with Rialto about future shows at Cerrito, stay tuned.) For now it looks like "Road Thrill" will be the new phase of Thrillville, a roving cult movie cabaret. There's plenty of work out there to keep my busy.


In September, the programs for the already scheduled THRILLVILLE BEACH PARTY have been changed, but it's for the better: I'm showcasing two of the most popular Mexican lucha monster mash-ups of all time, Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters and Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy. I'm still hosting the same program at the same venues on the same dates as before: September 10 at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco (with live surf music by Pollo del Mar) and September 17 at the Camera 3 in San Jose (with surf music by Aardvark and a live fashion show by the Rockabilly Models.)

In October, "Thrillville's Gorefest" has morphed into THRILLVILLE'S HALLOWEEN GORE 'N' SNOREFEST, featuring two exploitation masterpieces courtesy of RetroMedia Entertainment: Fred Olen Ray's notorious grindhouse slasher satire Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers with Larry Buchanan's literally incredible remake of Roger Corman's It Conquered the World, the cult favorite Zontar, the Thing From Venus (1966). Monica will be providing the snore part, as usual.This double thrill bill happens October 22 at the Camera 3 (with special musical guests Aardvark and Actual Rafiq) and again on October 29 at the Balboa (with special musical guests, the Deadlies and live tassle-twirling by Lady Monster.) All four of these shows start at 7:30, $12.
Monica and I are also hosting non-movie events. We just had the honor of presenting the famous Red Hots Burlesque show (who are also appearing at THRILLVILLE'S SATANIC SCI-FI SCHLOCK-O-RAMA August 20 at the 4 Star) at the popular El Rio in San Francisco, and next we'll be hosting the Zombie Prom at the Cat Club in San Francisco on September 11. Additionally, we're slated to appear on the local horror host midnight TV show CREEPY KOFY MOVIE TIME August 15 (which will air in September). The Thrill may be on the move, but I'm here to stay. Cheers!

Monica with Lady Monster at the El Rio
Hosting Red Hots at El Rio: Surf's up, bra!

Will Viharo

WILL "THE THRILL" VIHARO is a freelance writer and the author of several "gonzo pulp" novels including "A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge," "Freaks That Carry Your Luggage up to the Room," "Chumpy Walnut," "Lavender Blonde," "Down a Dark Alley," and the “Vic Valentine, Private Eye” series, the first of which, "Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me," has been optioned for a film by Christian Slater, reissued in 2013 by Gutter Books, which also published the new Vic Valentine novel "Hard-boiled Heart" in December, 2015.

Two science fiction novels, "It Came from Hangar 18" and "The Space Needler's Intergalactic Bar Guide," were written in collaboration with Scott Fulks, who added real science to Will's pulp.

Will's own imprint, Thrillville Press, has issued a three volume anthology series featuring all of his standalone novels called "The Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection," along with another omnibus called "The Vic Valentine Classic Case Files," which include four novels from the 1990s, "Fate Is My Pimp," "Romance Takes a Rain Check," "I Lost My Heart in Hollywood," and "Diary of a Dick," plus a recent short story, "Brain Mistrust."

More recently published books include the Vic Valentine "Mental Case Files" trilogy comprised of "Vic Valentine: International Man of Misery," "Vic Valentine: Lounge Lizard For Hire," and "Vic Valentine: Space Cadet"; the original story collection "Vic Valentine, Private Eye: 14 Vignettes"; the erotic horror noir novella "Things I Do When I'm Awake"; and a collection of erotic horror noir stories, "VIHORROR! Cocktales of Sex and Death."

Additionally Will has had stories included in a variety of anthologies including "Fast Women and Neon Lights: Eighties-Inspired Neon Noir"; "Mixed Up!"; "Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski"; "Deadlines: A Tribute to William Wallace"; "Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs"; "Knucklehead Noir" and "Weird Winter Wonderland" (both Coffin Hop Press); and "Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror."

Viharo's unique brand of "gonzo pulp fiction" combines elements of eroticism, noir, fantasy, and horror. For many years he has also been a professional film programmer/impresario and live music booker. He now lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and cats

https://www.thrillville.net
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